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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens
Date: February 20, 2024
Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $3,211,715
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens preview
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will take on 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the second round of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
Swiatek remained unbeaten in all of her singles ties to carry Poland into the United Cup final. However, the team lost the decisive mixed doubles match to Germany in the championship round.
Swiatek fought past the Americans Sofia Kenin and Danielle Collins to reach the third round of the Australian Open. She was then upset by Linda Noskova as the Czech teen handed her a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat and snapped her 18-match winning streak.
Swiatek then headed to Doha to defend her Qatar Open title. She scored wins over Sorana Cirstea, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Victoria Azarenka to make the last four.
A walkover from Karolina Plisova put Swiatek into the final, where the Pole bested Elena Rybakina 7-6 (8), 6-2 to claim her third straight title at the venue. As the top seed in Dubai, she received a first-round bye.
Stephens was drawn against Clara Burel in her opener here. The American broke her opponent's serve at the start of the match and once again in the seventh game to go 5-2 up.
However, Stephens stumbled while trying to close out the opener at that point as Burel claimed the next two games. But the former closed out the set on her second try to take a one-set lead.
Burel fought back to capture the second set for the loss of just one game. Stephens then struck first in the decider for a 2-0 headstart, but Burel managed to level the score immediately.
The American then upped her level as she bagged the last four games of the match for a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 win.
Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens head-to-head
Swiatek leads Stephens 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 US Open in straight sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens prediction
After the disappointment of an early exit from the Australian Open, Swiatek bounced back in her trademark style. Her triumph at the Qatar Open made her the first player to win three consecutive titles there. It was also her 18th career title and seventh at the WTA 1000 level.
Stephens did well to overcome a second-set stumble to down Burel and score just her fourth win of the year. The American has an uphill battle in the next round given her recent struggles against top players.
Stephens has just a couple of top-10 wins to her name since the start of 2022, with both of those victories coming against Caroline Garcia. During the same time frame, she has lost nine matches against top 10 players, including two straight sets losses to Swiatek.
Stephens isn't the same player she once was, while Swiatek has been the dominant force on the women's tour for a while now. The Pole is likely to notch up another win in this rivalry given her form.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.
